Tinkoff-Saxo’s Italian, Daniele Bennati has had a turbulent season with both ups and downs. Here, he shares some of his memories of 2013:

“For me, the most beautiful moment of 2013 surely was the Tour de France where I finally had reached peak shape, we were doing a great team effort and were able to win the team classification. The view from the top spot of the podium on Champ Elyseés is simply breathtaking and it was an incredibly exciting moment. Another beautiful moment was doing the World Championships in Tuscany but unfortunately it was shadowed by awful weather.”

“The most disappointing moment for me was in the beginning of the season. I had had so many physical problems and especially in the shoulder and neck and the preparations for the spring was practically ruined.”

“My goal for 2014 is being able to compete for the victory in one of the classics and I just hope to stay in excellent health so I can continue being useful to the team. I’ll be focusing on winning the Tour de France with Alberto,” concludes the Italian rider.